


three percent

by bipp_splapl



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Angst, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Introspection, NDRV3 Spoilers, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Depression, Self-Hatred, Spoilers, Survivor Guilt, just so yall kow, this is a vent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:40:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23788723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bipp_splapl/pseuds/bipp_splapl
Summary: MAJOR NDRV3 SPOILERS.....................................inspired loosely by the japanese polls released ahead of DRV3 where fans ranked who were most to least likely to survive. (poll in the notes)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23





	three percent

_they said it's a three-percent chance_

_that I'm gonna make it_

_that's a little bit less than what it is in my mind_

_but it's ok, I think I can take it_

\----------------------------------------

Amidst the chaos that was the courtroom, everything had tuned out, and there was a heavy ringing between the young mage’s ears. Like low-tone droll like a fuzzy tv. (Oddly fitting, given their newest plot twist in what turned out to literally be from a melodrama.)

Whatever drawn-out fight that was happening in the foreground didn’t apply to her. It never did. It never will. Miss Himiko Yumeno, formerly known as the Ultimate Mage, was not supposed to be here. Deep down, she always knew that she was the odd duck out in the situation and that whatever bond Maki, Shuichi, and Kaito shared was not her’s to take part in.

A background character in someone else’s story. But she never meant that quite so literally. 

_'Reality television, huh?'_ she weakly smiled, aimlessly drumming her fingers on her Monopad. Her eyes were glued to a screenshot from a fan forum, which showed a voter poll. All over the world, Danganronpa viewers voted who they predicted would survive the game. And at the very bottom of the list, in sixteenth place, was a sleepy photograph Himiko did not remember taking.

She knew it had to be staged because her hair never looked so good, nor her skin so clear. Kokichi always made sure to point out her less than becoming appearance, with her dark bags, frizzy hair, and uneven skin texture. But the tired face with a gentle (albeit lazy smile) looked more like a doll than a human. _'Could I really look like that...'_ Himiko wondered, zooming in to examine her photo. If she squinted hard enough, Himiko could make out the tiniest bit of glitter in the corner of her eyes. Had she been looking at a glamour shoot, she might admit that’s a fun look. Not right now.

Flicking her eyes across the screen, she took in the ranking of her peers. She found comfort that Tsumugi was right there at the bottom with her, as she rightfully deserved. Meanwhile, there were Maki and Shuichi, top one and two. How the hell was she supposed to be grouped with them? They’re already known for their steadfast resolve and character in the killing game, but now internationally, too?

Like, hypothetically, if this really were all about fame, what would signings look like? Knowing all the other horrors they have faced, Himiko knew it was not above “Team Danganronpa” to force them into publicity tours. Would they have lines of fans? Video compilations? Cosplayers? And what of her? Empty lines? Pitied smiles? Mean comments about how she should have died earlier so a favorite could survive? After all, if Tenko didn’t take her place during the seance, she would be the one six feet under.

_'Don’t worry, mister anonymous fan, I think I should have been the one to die, too.'_

What of her friends? Would there be cosplays of her dead classmates? Would Tenko’s hairstyle be the hottest rage when she returns home? Would people legitimately worship Atua? Will a copycat of DICE pop up in the real world?

It made her head hurt.

Her eyes weld up with tears as she looked at the other rankings and saw how little the viewers thought of her friends. And it hurt more to see that monster ranked above her late friend Tenko. She scrunched up her nose at Korekiyo’s picture, brooding and romantic in a grotesque way, staged in a way that was almost _comically evi-_

A thought cross her mind which gave her pause. If this… ~living hell~ was all scripted, full of false talents and fabricated pasts, could that mean…there’s a chance Korekiyo wasn’t actually a mass murderer? She had just watched videos of her friends, Shuichi and Kaito and hell, even Kaede when she was still around. They were so kind and honorable here, but their past selves resembled nothing of the sort. If Danganronpa can warp someone’s personality and memories like their’s, it would be safe to assume that Korekiyo was manipulated as well. With a photograph like this, the elaborate costume, the flowery speech - knowing everything she knew now, it felt almost…scripted.

A pit grew in the bottom of her stomach, and for the first time since his execution, she felt almost sympathetic. Could he have been manipulated to become a late-season villain, like a trope out of one of Tsumugi’s manga? Did he have a family back home? Hell, even a real sister, one who loved him very much and watched, horrified, as her baby brother committed crimes and talked about their incestuous relationship in her honor? The thick air of mystery departed, and left behind something resembling ugly humanity. 

The others too, what of them? Gonta’s whole third-person schtick made a lot more sense, she will admit, and Miu’s outbursts suddenly felt a lot more like comic relief dialogue. But what of Ryoma’s depression? Of Tenko’s sense of justice? Himiko wanted to believe that, on some fundamental level, parts of the people who auditioned for the show seeped into their characters. But the line where fact became fiction (and now, seemingly, reality) all blurred together.

Which only left her to wonder - who was Miss Himiko Yumeno before she donned the magician’s cloak? Why would she ever audition for a death game? Her audition tape wasn’t shown because obviously, why would it be? She’s not a fan favorite. She could tell from the polls.

Deep down, she knew. The Ultimate Mage always knew. Just as she knew her magic was fake, despite desperately trying to convince everyone else otherwise. Even now, she was full of shit. Himiko always lacked a fundamental sense of self-preservation. Her time with Ryoma as a friend, albeit brief, made her question some of her own self-destructive behaviors. Her lack of motivation stemmed less from laziness, as she claimed as it did outright apathy towards herself. She lacked direction. After the deaths of her two closest friends, and then another, and then one more, Himiko knew that to be true.

Was this all a trick? A sick joke? The ultimate magician, specializing in slights of the hand and escape magic. A fun, albeit meaningless talent, lacking any or all-purpose. Something to watch to past the time, but never to devote a life towards. Never to love. A skill desperately trying to convince others of its validity, holding onto the brink of reality, clinging to the hope no one will figure out her facade. Fitting, really, for a stupid, meaningless girl.

Miss Himiko Yumeno would never know why she joined, not without her audition tape. However, it felt right to say it was a desperate attempt at meaning. Fame, fortune, glory. Those were all well and good. But something as simple as being given a purpose and a trait that makes you worthy sounded…nice. Welcoming, even. Gave her the warm fuzzies. Put everything on the line, but at least you have a life worth living.

It did not work like that. The Ultimate Mage was the same sad girl from before. Just in a new place. Space, apparently. Maybe a TV soundstage? Honestly, she had completely tuned into her own little world at this point, she missed all the exposition.

A formerly great mage mindlessly scrolled through her Monopad, looking at promotional materials and pre-season write-ups with sleepy, sleepy eyes. Same dark bags. Same frizzy hair. Same weak, ugly, stupid smile.

Different time. Same tired girl.

\----------------------------------

~~_they said it's a three percent_ ~~

~~_my friends_ ~~

~~_that's what they said_ ~~

~~~~~~_and then I sat there and thought about it and almost believed it for a sec_ ~~

**Author's Note:**

> https://external-preview.redd.it/uq83VA3in3DDMSH-5az4ajklfs1dw0v06rh4RzRNtA8.jpg?auto=webp&s=54d2b7523efc07507258d3d3e661a8ba3fd96ef5
> 
> here's the link to the exact poll if you're wondering.


End file.
